Chelsea may have recorded a comfortable victory over FC Copenhagen but the striker who doesn’t have a whole lot to prove scored the goals.
Those at the West London club had hoped, maybe even prayed, that the night would mark the arrival of new £50m signing, Fernando Torres, on the score sheet. Nicolas Anelka was the man to save manager Carlo Ancelotti’s bacon, although you could still see the Italian’s days being numbered at the club.
All decked out in black, Ancelotti’s charges never even needed to move out of first gear in steamrolling their Danish counterparts and it keeps faint hopes alive of a maiden Champions League victory.
The club is in a very similar position to that of the last side to reach the final of Europe’s grandest competition under the tutelage of Ancelotti, Milan in 2007. At that time, the Italian side were over 30 points behind league leaders Inter Milan and staring into the abyss.
Meanwhile over in France, Real Madrid was unable to put to bed a hoodoo that has affected their performance in the Champions League for most of the current decade.
Jose Mourinho’s side went a goal ahead thanks to French striker Karim Benzema’s second half goal. This was, however, equalized by a late Bafetimbi Gomis strike as a mirror on the side of the pitch distracted Cristiano Ronaldo. Whoever said the man was vein?!
It does beg the question as to whether they’ll ever be able to win in the French city having now gone seven games against Lyon without registering a win. A goal-less draw in the return leg is all Jose will need to go through though.
